Sunday, September 13, 2015

Reprise Review: You Are Not Alone / Leah Carey

Availability Kindle US:YESUK:YESNook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper:YESClick on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Transformational speaker and author Leah Carey has been in the trenches. She spent over two decades struggling with chronic depression, believing that no matter how hard she worked or how much she accomplished, she was never good enough and no one could ever understand. She now shares with audiences the answer that saved her life: sharing our stories helps us to release shame, build community, and increase effectiveness and resilience…

Leah is a journalist and has been published in books, magazines, medical journals, and on many internet sites on a variety of self-empowerment and personal development topics. She also speaks frequently at groups and conferences on these subjects. She lives in northern New Hampshire with her parakeet, Cinnamon, and about a bazillion of her favorite books.”

“On May 24, 2014, Twitter exploded with stories of women’s experiences of harassment and assault in their daily lives using the hashtag #YesAllWomen.

With the Twitter conversation as inspiration, 10 women came together to share their stories with each other and the world. They dug within themselves to find wisdom...but they also revealed their own inner conflict about their experiences and their views of the world. They were willing to be vulnerable and admit not only how they have been hurt, but also how they have hurt others.

Through telling our stories - and hearing the stories of others - we learn that there is much more that unites us than divides us. That is the purpose of this book. To remind you: You are not alone.

I hope that you will hear those words repeating in your head as you read this book and realize how true they are: YOU ARE NOT ALONE”

Appraisal:

I don’t read much non-fiction any longer and I don’t read self-help books, so I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. I wasn’t looking forward to reading about other women’s horror stories. However, that is not what I found here in this book. Ten brave women give us an inside look into their struggles and share their own personal journeys through their individual healing processes. Sharing their thoughts and feelings in a safe environment allowed them to realize they are not alone in their struggles to get a handle on their lives. Identifying similar dilemmas and seeing it through others eyes gives them a chance to view their own situations with new eyes. Perspectives changed and that change helped them all move forward in different degrees.

Everyone’s path is different. I thank my lucky stars that I have not had to deal with the abuse these women have survived. I have not been accosted while walking down the street and I have never been sexually harassed. I do realize the possibility is there every single day though. The problem is we are all vulnerable when we are alone. We all need to take a stronger stand on teaching our sons and daughters to respect other people. To gather around and support those who are being oppressed and to support one another. The enemy is silence. We need to share our fears and experiences to find our power and strength. I liked this quote from the book:

We’re not saving the world FROM men. We’re not saving the world FOR women. We’re saving the world from our fear. We’re saving the world from our shame. We’re saving the world from all those times that we didn’t speak our truth, and turned our anger inward on ourselves.

We’re saving the world from all those times that we didn’t speak our truth and exploded at innocent bystanders… many of whom happen to be the men who want to love us. We’re saving the world by finding peace and respect within ourselves, because it will save the world for the next generation.

I found this an enlightening read and I want to thank BigAl for pushing the boundaries of my comfort-zone yet again, by asking if I would like to do a doubleshot with him. :D Honestly, once I started reading I couldn’t put the book down. You Are Not Alone is a valuable read for both men and women and Ms. Carey did a wonderful job putting it together. I was captivated by these women and want to thank each and every one of them for opening up and sharing a piece of their soul with the world.

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